The field of the invention is related to turbine and compressor blades, and in particular to the repair of such blades.
Blades in an axial turbine or compressor can be damaged, such that the blade is chipped, bent or otherwise deformed. A deformed blade may perform poorly and can further damage the compressor or turbine. Detecting a damaged blade and correctly repairing the blade promptly may avoid additional machine failure and damage.
Conventional methods for detecting and repairing a damaged turbine or compressor blade are generally time consuming, inefficient and susceptible to a high rate of error in their interpretation and application. These methods typically involve the use of manuals directed to the operation, use and repair of the machine or particular machine part, e.g., a turbine blade. Included in such manuals are drawings, diagrams, schematics and the like that usually require some interpretation by the repair technician.
A blade repair technician is usually experienced with blade repairs or may engage in extensive communication with an engineer familiar with the construction and operation of the machine or machine part to be repaired. Oftentimes, the length of time to detect, diagnose, solve and repair a damaged blade consumes many days or weeks, resulting in an inordinate and expensive machine downtime. Common errors or miscommunications that compound the blade repair efforts include misinterpretation or misapplication of the blade schematics, drawings and such, or of the blade repair directions provided in manuals for the blades. Such misinterpretation and misapplication can result in unacceptable or unsuccessful repair, and lead to subsequent damage and delay. Accordingly, there is a long felt need for a fast and reliable system to assist blade repair technicians, and to provide instructions regarding the repair of damaged blades.